


Benefits

by Brennan4



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Body Worship, Cake, Earth C (Homestuck), Emotional Constipation, Friends With Benefits, M/M, Not Epilogue Compliant, Post-Canon, Praise Kink, friends to fuckbuddies to lovers, talking about feelings, versatile couple
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:03:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28816062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brennan4/pseuds/Brennan4
Summary: After living together on Earch C for a few years, Dirk and Jake are both becoming frustrated with their inability to have the kind of relationship they both want, so Jake, genius that he is, suggests they become Friends with Benefits, so they can just have sex with each other and not have to talk about their feelings. It doesn't work.
Relationships: Jake English/Dirk Strider
Comments: 3
Kudos: 49
Collections: DirkJake Big Bang 2k21





	Benefits

Dirk Strider is in hell. This was it, his perfect punishment for being such a shitty person. And although he imagined over the years various forms of eternal torment he might be subjected to, this was a bit of a surprise. Dirk had always known he’d end up in hell, but had never envisioned it would be so… cake themed. 

Of course he’s just being melodramatic, as usual. He’s not literally in the afterlife, he’s actually at a party to celebrate him and his family. Which sort of makes it perfect. It’s that magical time of year, when 6 of Earth C’s Creators celebrate their birthdays in one week. The whole planet comes together to thank their Creators and reflect on their own creation, and the nature of birth and life itself. Oh, and his darling ecto-daughter Rose chose to get married on her 18th birthday, so this week also has an angle about celebrating romantic love and fidelity. A whole week where the planet joins in jubilee about the concept of birthdays and weddings. 

And what do birthdays and weddings have in common? Making Dirk consider the unsatisfactory direction his life trajectory is going in, and cake. Lots of cake. And where there’s cake there’s Crockercorp. Jane’s company has turned the Simultaneitivity Jubilee into a bigger commercial promotion holiday than Christmas ever was on old Earth. Not that Dirk ever got to see any of that, but he could make a guess at how big Christmas on old Earth was by the fact that approximately half of Jake’s crappy movies took place on the day. 

As his thoughts turn to Jake his mood sours even more.

The focus on weddings and birthdays is intended to make the happy citizens of Earth C think about their life story and the role love has played in it. Dirk can’t stop himself from doing that this time of year, even though it makes him feel like more of a failure than usual. The fucking cake sculptures aren’t helping.

Currently Dirk is at one of those awful Crockercorp galas, what felt like the millionth this week. All of them were celebrating some aspect or meaning people had assigned to this godforsaken week in December, and this one was about “The History of Love Expressed in the Saga of the Creators.” He’d had to put on yet another fucking suit and hang out with his fellow Creators, reminded yet again that most of them had become happier and healthier than him in the four years since they’d created this planet. Crockercorp had seen fit to commission the finest cake artisans on the planet to create a gallery of cake confectionaries depicting the various forms of romance that had manifested in their Sburb sessions. The artists had been working on them for a full year and even though he is in a crabby mood he had to admit most of these were pretty impressive.

There was a cake for each of the four quadrants, depicting a moment from their session that represented it. For matespritship there was a sculpture of Rose and Kanaya’s wedding, with little miniature figures of all the Creators shortly before they got blasted out of their mind on Trickster Juju. For moirallegiance there was a cake sculpture of Karkat shoosh-papping Gamzee in front of the other trolls, which made Dirk question if that was a healthy depiction of this type of relationship. For auspisticism there was a sculpture of the Forge on LOFAF with PM and Jack Noir suspended in the air on wires, dueling as Jade interrupted. And for kismesissitude there was the most technically ambitious cake of all, depicting John and Terezi flying on their rocket packs, the cake made of the exhaust trails as they circled each other. Dirk wasn’t sure that was an event that literally happened in the session, but whatever. 

There were other cake sculptures too: one of Dave saving the Mayor as they tumbled off a structure in LOHAC, Eridan and Vriska locked in naval FLARP combat, and, of course the volcano kiss. The fucking Volcano Kiss. If Dirk had known that Jake kissing his disembodied head would be viewed as a symbol for tragically unfulfilled passion for five thousand years he would have avoided the situation like the plague. He and Jake have become a romantic archetype like Romeo and Juliet, an example burned into Earth C culture to help thousands of people contextualize the shitty direction their relationships are going in. As Dirk’s looking at it, forced to remember the beginning of the end of the dalliance between him and Jake, he decides the worst part is that it’s a really impressive sculpture. The icing that makes up the lava flow is really dynamic and lifelike, the miniature figure of Jake is framed nicely at the center, and there’s even a sculpture of John zapping in the background during his Retcon journey. Dirk appreciates that sort of attention to detail in this monument to his romantic screw-up. 

Dirk looks around the room at his fellow Creators, all examining the cake sculptures. Rose and Kanaya are of course both on the brink of tears as they look at their wedding cake. Dirk wishes he didn’t feel so bitter every year on their anniversary, but having it be a national holiday really makes it hard for him to see it as an accusation against him, reminding him he can’t blame the trauma of SBurb or growing up in a homophobic society for the Jake situation, because it didn’t stop those two. He scans the room for the rest of Earth C’s gods, who all seem happy and impressed. John looks a little uncomfortable, but Dirk knows that’s just because he’s sick of all the cake on principle. His eyes rest on Jake, who seems pleasantly oblivious. Dirk sighs and zones out for the rest of the party. 

Later that night, he’s in his bed in the expensive hotel suite Crockercorp had given him and the other Creators for the weekend. As he’s mentally celebrating that this wretched week is finally ending, he hears a knock on his door.

“Hey old chum, mind if I come in for a moment?” It’s Jake’s voice. “I know it’s late, but there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

Dirk guesses the week of torture isn’t over yet. 

“Sure, come in dude,” says Dirk as he gets up to let Jake in. He looks like he’s been partying pretty hard, with his shirt rustled and his bowtie loose around his neck. The slightly disheveled look to his clothes contrasts with the cute sweater vest he’s wearing in an adorable way that’s making Dirk feel something flutter in his chest. Damn, four years after they broke up and Jake can still do this to him. 

“How are you doing?” asks Jake. There’s a hint of nervousness to his voice. “I know these sorts of things aren’t your style.”

Dirk shrugs. “Simultane-whatever week’s always a bit more socialization than I’m used to, but I got through it okay.”

“Truthfully I get a bit sick of it too. All these parties and attention…” He does that thing where he rubs the back of his neck even though he must know by now that Dirk knows it means he’s feeling anxious. There’s a beat of silence before Dirk tells him to come in. Jake goes over to the edge of the bed and sits down. He’s definitely nervous about something, fidgeting with his fingers in his lap as he looks down. 

“So what did you want to talk about?” asks Dirk, hoping to move this along.

“Golly there’s no easy way to transition into this, is there?” says Jake. “Well, all the wedding hullabaloo at the gala, the cakes and whatnot got me thinking.”

“Me too,” says Dirk, immediately wishing he hadn’t. There’s no way this isn’t going to be awkward for both of them, is there?

“I’ve got to thinking about, well, us.” continues Jake. “And I came up with a… proposition.”

“A proposition?”

“Yes, well… Oh fuck it all, I’ll just come out and say it.” Jake gets up off the bed. “Dirk, could we just… have sex with each other, and not have to talk or worry about feelings and stuff? Cut out all the rhubarb and gobbledigook.”

Dirk didn’t know what he was expecting Jake to say, but it wasn’t this. He’s also barely sure what that last sentence meant. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“Yes. I really want to be close to you and I know we’ve had our problems, so maybe we can just have a purely physical relationship?”

Dirk hopes his poker face is holding up because he has no idea how to feel about this. “I’m extremely fuckin’ interested, but how would this work exactly?”

“I’m open to suggestions, but I was thinking we just, y’know, screw each other every now and then, and afterwards we get on with our lives. Sort of a friends with benefits thing?”

“I think that would work for me.”

A look of pure joy comes across Jake’s face. “Oh that’s splendid. I was afraid you would think this was weird, or creepy, or…” Dirk presses a finger to Jake’s lips. 

“You said we weren’t going to talk about feelings, right?” says Dirk. 

“Oh, right, maybe we should make that an official rule or something.”

A moment passes before Dirks says, “So, did you want to start now, or…”

“Oh! Um, I guess so? Are you in the mood for it?”

“Abso-fuckin’-lutely,” says Dirk. He was about to say that he feels like he needs it after the day he’s been having, but catches himself. That would go against the new Feelings Rule. 

Jake unties his loose bowtie. “So, you know, I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“It’s okay, I haven’t either.”

“Oh, that’s a relief! I mean, I’m not relieved you haven’t had sex before, I’m just glad we’re in the same boat-”

Dirk cuts him off again. “I thought the whole point of this was that we weren’t going to talk and just get to business.”

“Oh, okay.” says Jake, right before he shoves his hand down the front of Dirk’s pants. 

Dirk can’t explain why, but there is a significant difference between having someone else’ hand on your cock compared to your own. He lets out a moan that is as embarrassing as it is involuntary. Jake responds with a huge, adorable grin and Dirk has officially lost his ability to keep his cool. 

“You like that?” asks Jake.

Dirk tries to come up with something cool or funny to say but all he manages is: “Hmmm yeah.”

Feeling the need to take some measure of control over the situation before Jake reduces him to a total sap, he pulls off the cute sweater vest and begins unbuttoning Jake’s shirt. It’s really hard to concentrate on the buttons as Jake is still fondling his dick, but Dirk manages. He opens the shirt and takes a look at Jake’s chest. It’s been a while since Dirk has seen him shirtless, and he’s blown away by how big Jake has gotten. 

“Wow,” says Dirk, suddenly wishing he hadn’t. Does the Feelings Rule allow them to compliment each other? Jake hums in appreciation so Dirk guesses it’s okay. His hands roam over Jake’s chest. Jake grabs Dirk by the waist and pivots their bodies closer to the bed. As he does so, Jake’s body is now facing the lamp and Dirk notices something he’s never seen before.

Jake has a cluster of small, circular scars dotting his upper chest. How long have those been there? In keeping with his newfound inability to control himself, he pokes at one of them with his finger.

“When did…” He asks before stopping himself.

“Oh these? They’re from my scrape with the green chaps. Have you never noticed them before?”

“I guess not.”

“One of the emerald ruffians pumped me full of lead. Fully automatic, point blank range. Jane fixed me up though.”

Jake rubs a finger over the scar on Dirk’s neck. “I guess we match,” he says.” “We both got scars on the same day.”

Dirk feels like they might be venturing dangerously close to serious emotional discussion, so to change the topic he grabs Jake’s ass. God, it’s a great ass. After all this time seeing it on TV this feels kind of surreal, yet intimate. Now it’s Jake’s turn to moan shamefully. 

Dirk takes advantage of the momentum and undoes Jake’s belt and pulls his pants down. It’s a relief to see that Jake is just as hard as he is, even though they haven’t been going at it very long. What’s not as relieving is Jake’s taste in undergarments, a green pair of boxer briefs plastered with the official Skaianet logo. 

“Are you seriously wearing underwear with the branding of the company you own?”

Jake giggles. “Do you like them?”

Dirk smiles. “They’re tacky and ridiculous and they do nothing to take away from how awesome your thighs are.”

“I can tolerate some pretty ridiculous get-ups if I get to show off my gams.”

Dirk rubs Jake’s thighs. “Can’t argue with that. Bet you could pull off pantaloons pretty well.”

“Don’t give me ideas.”

Jake grabs Dirk by the hips and pushes him onto the bed. He leans over Dirk. Dirk revels in the combined feelings of admiring Jake’s strength and total knowledge that he is only going to use it for things that make Dirk feel good. His hips feel secure in Jake’s strong hands and tingle at the touch. Jake leans over Dirk and kisses him on the lips. 

Dirk wasn’t sure if kissing was included in the friends with benefits setup, but he’s thrilled with Jake’s choice and kisses him back. Jake breaks the kiss and starts kissing his neck. It takes the tiniest pull to take off Dirk’s tie, which has been hanging loose and half-tied for most of the evening. He unbuttons Dirk’s shirt and plants kisses down his chest as he peels the garment off. Dirk finds it so freeing to just be able to lay down and let Jake do whatever he wants. Whatever else is going on in their relationship, Dirk feels no fear about giving Jake complete access to his body. As Jake pulls down his pants he wraps his legs around Jake’s waist. 

Jake presses his groin up against Dirk and they both shudder the instant they make contact. They’re both equally hard and apparently equally sensitive. Dirk feels like a wave of electricity is flowing through body, turning him to jelly. 

“Is this okay?” asks Jake. “The position, I mean. Do you wanna stay like this?”

“Sounds great.” says Dirk. “This is fuckin’ amazing.” 

“I didn’t bring any… supplies or anything.” says Jake bashfully. “Do you want to finish like this?”

Dirk thrusts up against Jake and the resulting sensation leaves him barely able to speak in complete sentences. He manages, “Yeah. Let’s do this.”

As they pull down their underwear and grind against each other, part of Dirk takes a moment to reflect on how unbelievable it is that this is finally happening. He’s spent so much time imagining this that it’s kind of surreal that this is actually going down. And so quickly he can’t even fully process it. Neither of them have even taken off their glasses! His shades are fogged up by Jake’s breath and he loves it. Jake’s glasses are askew in a really adorable angle, made even cuter by the fact that Jake seems not to notice. After a few moments Dirk becomes so into it he cannot be introspective anymore and, for perhaps the first time in his life, lives fully in the moment. 

Dirk should probably find it embarrassing how short both he and Jake last. But hell, they’re both inexperienced and having a great time, so who cares. As they come on each other’s chests Jake lets out a sigh and rolls over next to Dirk. He immediately laments the lack of Jake’s warmth and weight on his body, but Jake grabs his hand and that makes up for it. Dirk just lays there and catches his breath, feeling Jake’s pulse slow down along with his through their joined palms. 

As Dirk’s muscles come back to life after being thoroughly wrecked he scoots over closer to Jake. Their bodies are both so fucking hot, and he suddenly becomes aware of how cold the room around them is as the sweat dries from his body. He rests his head on Jake’s chest as Jake wraps his arm around him. They lay there in silence together. Dirk lets the beat of Jake’s heart and the rise and fall of his chest rhythmically lull him to sleep.

When Dirk wakes up, Jake is gone. Dirk isn’t surprised, but the disappointment has a particularly cruel edge to it. He takes comfort in the fact that the evening went so well and that Jake seems interested in doing it again soon. 

And so, Dirk and Jake have sex with each other several times over the next few weeks. And Dirk loves it. He loves it as much as he had expected he would, but he frequently finds himself being surprised by what he likes about it and why. Even though he had been thinking about this sort of thing for years, it ended up being totally different from what he expected. And that might be what he loves most of all, the ways he ends up learning about Jake and himself. 

The first thing that surprises him is that having sex with Jake is not as perfect as he fantasized, a fact he finds wonderful and reassuring. He and Jake are both clumsy and inexperienced, and whenever they are together this becomes obvious. But somehow the imperfect nature of the experience makes it even more enjoyable. Actually being intimate with Jake feels more real because they both make mistakes. It takes pressure off of Dirk’s own performance and keeps him from feeling like he puts Jake on a pedestal, holding him to standards he can never meet. Dirk knows that deep down inside he is a dork and Jake is too, and being reminded of this when they fuck makes it a more honest experience. 

Dirk is also surprised by the fact that he ends up topping most of the time. During all the years he had envisioned having sex with Jake, the fantasies usually involved Jake carrying him to bed, placing him face down and holding him with firm but tender arms as he pounded Dirk into the mattress. They enact this exact scenario regularly and Dirk revels in the experience. Jake is so gentle and attentive, making him excellently suited to the task. And the way he kisses the back of Dirk’s neck is better than anything in his fantasies. Even better is the way Jake whispers sweet things in Dirk’s ear about how beautiful he looks, far kinder than anything Dirk’s imagination could ever produce. But something Dirk could never have imagined is that Jake likes being on the bottom as much as Dirk does, if not more so. And Dirk loves how much Jake loves it. 

Jake is a lovely combination of enthusiastic and vulnerable when he bottoms, as bottoming apparently allows him to show a side of himself to Dirk he can’t share in any other context. He begs and thanks Dirk for everything he does. Dirk realizes how much Jake looks to him for security and validation, even if he can’t ever admit it. Dirk loves that he is able to make Jake feel safe and cherished. Sometimes Jake actually gets a little teary-eyed, which at first Dirk thought meant something was wrong, but Jake explains that he feels safe enough to let out all of his emotions. So Dirk soothes Jake and shows him how valued he is.

A few weeks after the gala Dirk is engaging in a regular session with Jake, who is laid out on his back on Dirk’s bed. Jake has his legs spread and two of Dirk’s fingers inside of him. They’ve barely started and Jake is already acting more needy than usual.

“Hmm, that’s really nice. Can’t wait to have you inside me, Dirk.” Jake loops his thick arms around Dirk’s neck and pulls him in for a kiss. Dirk still feels hesitant to initiate kissing, but this is rarely a problem because Jake does it so often. 

“You’re so beautiful,” says Jake as he kisses him. “And so handsome.” Another kiss. “And cute.” Jake kisses him yet again.

“Shit, you don’t have to say stuff like that.”

Jake kisses him again, then pauses. “I know, but I like saying it.” Then he continues kissing. 

Between kisses Dirk whispers, “You’re doing so good Jake, taking my fingers so well.”

Jake stops kissing for a moment to allow a huge smile to spread across his face. Dirk knows that Jake loves compliments, but is careful about making his physical appearance the focus of them. He knows Jake has a complicated relationship with his body image, wanting to be admired but not objectified. Dirk walks a precise balance to make sure he compliments Jake on his actions and performance.

As Jake plants kisses across Dirk’s face, he lands a soft kiss on Dirk’s eyebrow. Dirk responds with muffled laughter in spite of himself. “Dude, what the fuck. You like my eyebrows?”

Jake laughs shamelessly. “I do, actually! Have I never told you that?”

“No, that’s kind of weird bro.” For a moment Dirk winces, afraid he might have made Jake feel guilty, but if anything Jake seems to be taking it as a playful jab.

“I mean, I love everything about your body. But I like your eyebrows because they let me know how you’re feeling under your shades.”

“Shit, really?” Dirk feels almost betrayed, and acutely aware of the absence of his shades.

Jake kisses his neck before saying, “Yeah, they’re a veritable cheat sheet for Strider feelings.”

Dirk’s face is burning and he can tell Jake has noticed. Even without his glasses his vision isn’t that bad. He can feel them approaching the boundary of the Feelings Rule, so to keep them from going over he adds a third finger. Jake moans and is unable to continue the conversation.

Dirk leans over Jake and whispers into his ear. “Lovin’ those sounds, bro.” Now it’s Jake’s turn to go red.

To keep the pace going Dirk starts rubbing Jake’s belly with his free right hand. He knows Jake is a little sensitive about this part of his body. He knows Jake wishes he was more muscular and less pudgy but Dirk loves his body exactly the way it is, a lovely contrast to his own smaller physique, all sharp joints and stringy muscles. So while part of him wants to say out loud how much he loves Jake’s belly he settles for rubbing his abdomen and saying, “You’re so beautiful, man. And you’re doing so good. ”

Jake wraps Dirk in his thighs and says, “I’m ready.”

Dirk maneuvers himself so that he is directly on top of Jake, enveloped in his thick arms and thighs, pressing Dirk’s body into his soft but muscled chest. Dirk finally enters Jake, prompting a moan he worries can be heard throughout all of Consort Kingdom.

The moans continue as Dirk sets a slow but steady pace. 

“Fuck, man. Those sounds are drivin’ me crazy.”

“Can’t help it…” pants Jake. “You like them?”

“Fuck yeah, man.” says Dirk “Want me to go faster?”

Jake can barely manage to say “Sure.”

“It’s hard for me to fuck you nice and slow when you keep making those sounds.” 

Jake replies with a simple “Please!” and Dirk picks up the pace. 

Dirk continues at this speed for a little bit, but soon Jake says it again, repeating it over and over as a mantra.

“What are you asking me for, Jake?” says Dirk, stroking Jake’s cheek. Jake keeps repeating the word, his voice almost a whisper. God, Dirk loves it when Jake begs. Specifically, he loves that Jake has something he wants to beg for, and that he can give it to him. “Dude, I’ll give you anything you want, you just have to fuckin’ tell me.”

“Maybe I just want to hear you say that.”

Dirk stops dead in his tracks for a second. This is dangerously close to breaking the Feelings Rule, but at this point Dirk doesn’t fucking care.

He looks Jake dead in the eye and says, “As you wish.”

Jake laughs. “Did you just make a reference to the fucking Princess Bri-”

Jake’s speech is cut off as Dirk drives into him fast and hard, leaving him unable to do anything other than moan in pleasure until they both come. 

Dirk rolls off Jake and curls into his side as Jake wraps an arm around him. They both lay there in silence as they catch their breath. 

“That was amazing, Dirk.” 

Dirk lays on Jake’s chest, feeling it rise and fall with each breath. He feels sleep creeping up on him. His mind half foggy, he says, “I love you, Jake.”

Jake is silent and his chest is still.

“Fuck,” says Dirk, suddenly alert and awake. “I shouldn’t have said that.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to everyone in the Dirkjake Big Bang Server who looked this over, and to everyone involved in this event generally.
> 
> Check out the art @Chramdander made for this!  
> https://twitter.com/chramdander


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